Good News in History September 13

25 year ago today, the Israel leader Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat shook hands at White House after signing of the Oslo peace accords–the first handshake in public between the two former arch enemies. (1993)#DoItForPeace

MORE Good News on this Day:

Lawyer Francis Scott Key wrote the poem, The Star-Spangled Banner, while watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry and negotiating the release of US prisoners during the War of 1812 aboard a British ship (1814)

The Federal Communications Act in the USA was amended to outlaw payola– the practice of cash payments or gifts given in exchange for airplay of records (1960)

Nintendo released its smash-hit video game Super Mario Bros. (1985)

The largest anti-Apartheid march in South Africa was led by Desmond Tutu (1989)

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (2007)

And on this day, in 1916, the Welsh-born author, fighter pilot, and medical pioneer Roald Dahl was born.

Renown for such children’s classics as Matilda, his popular stories, including The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, have each been made into feature films. Beyond his more than 30 books, Dahl played a pivotal role in several medical advancements by finding solutions that he developed after health issues arose in his family.

And on this day in 1857, Milton S. Hershey was born, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company and the company town of Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Born on a farm and with no schooling after 4th grade, the boy was sent by his mother to learn the trade of candy making as an apprentice. His first product, a bag of caramels made with fresh milk, were a great success. He and his wife had no children, so they gave all their money to charity, built a school for orphans (still operating today), and supported and nurtured their workers.